The present invention relates to plating systems and more particularly for a rack structure that is utilized to support components that are to be plated.
In recent years it has become quite popular for manufacturers of various products to plate products or components of the products. For example, in the plumbing industry, it is common for plumbing manufacturers to plate plumbing accessories such as faucets, handles and the like. Plating serves a number of functions. First, it tends to harden the surface of the components and as a result the hardened surfaces tend to resist wear. Finally, plating processes coat the components in an attractive and sometimes distinctive color.
There are various types of plating systems. In the way of an example, there is a system referred to as PVD, xe2x80x9cphysical vapor deposition.xe2x80x9d This process basically comprises removing metallic ions from a target or source material and reacting them with a gas to form a ceramic compound which is deposited on the surface of the products or the components. Typically, the PVD process begins with the part or component being hung on a support or holder and placed in an ultrasonic cleaning line in order to clean the component and to eliminate oil, grease and polishing paste residues. The component or parts after being dried are introduced into a vacuum chamber. In the vacuum chamber the part or component first undergoes cleaning by ionic etching under argon. Thereafter, the component or part is generally bombarded with a high density metallic plasma which produces the coating. The coating process is different for various substrate materials. For copper alloys, for example, an electroplated underlayer is usually necessary, whereas with stainless steel or titanium the PVD process is applied directly on the substrate.
It is known in the art to provide plating racks that are utilized to hold and support the products or component being plated. These plating racks are designed and sized so as to be compatible with a vacuum chamber in the case of the PVD system. In any event, the products or components being plated are secured to the plating rack and the plating rack and the supported parts or components are placed within a chamber for plating. The plating racks of the prior art have a number of drawbacks. First, and foremost, they fail to offer the user a great deal of flexibility. Generally speaking, these racks include a series of support rings that are adapted to receive and hold products or components to be plated. However, the support rings are fixed to the rack and are generally not adjustable. When the manufacturer desires to plate new designs, then the manufacturer often has to have new racks custom made to hold and support certain products or components. This is time-consuming, inconvenient and expensive.
There has been and continues to be a need for a plating rack that is more versatile than racks of the prior art. More particularly, there is a need for a plating rack where the individual component support assemblies of the rack can be easily adjusted and interchanged if desired to accommodate the needs of the user.
The present invention entails a plating rack for supporting components to be plated. The supporting rack includes an elongated main support member. Secured to the elongated main support member is a series of spaced apart component support assemblies. At least one of the component support assemblies includes a frame or ring that extends substantially around the main support member. The frame includes a pair of opposed end portions that are spaced apart and which define an opening therebetween that allows the elongated main support member to pass through the opening when mounting or removing the component support assembly from the main support member. A support structure is provided with the main support member for engaging and supporting respective component support assemblies. To hold and support the individual products or components that are to be plated, an array of component supports are secured to the frames of the respective component support assemblies.
In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the plating rack is particularly adapted to be used in conjunction with a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. In this case, the plating rack is adapted to be housed or contained within a vacuum chamber. Once contained within the vacuum chamber, a physical vapor deposition process may proceed.
In another particular embodiment of the present invention, the plating rack of the present invention includes a central threaded shaft. A series of spaced apart component support assemblies are secured to the central threaded shaft. At least one of the component support assemblies includes a surrounding frame that extends around the central threaded shaft and includes opposed terminal ends that terminate in spaced apart relationship so as to define an opening therebetween that permits the central threaded shaft to pass through the opening when the component support assembly is being secured to the central threaded shaft. At least one component support assembly further includes a central support having a slot having an open end, and there is provided a plurality of connectors that interconnect the central support with the surrounding frame. An array of component supports are secured to the surrounding frame and supported thereby such that various products or components to be plated can be supported by the component supports. Finally, there is provided in this particular embodiment, a series of threaded supports disposed in pairs with each pair being adapted to engage and support a respective component support assembly.
One advantage of the present invention is that various types and designs of component or product support assemblies can be easily and conveniently attached to the main support member. Because the frames include the side openings, it follows that the frames can simply be laterally moved onto or off from the central support member. Therefore, various types of component support assemblies can be mixed and matched and supported on the main support member at various space relationships.